I recently came across a fantastically written article that highlighted historical skin care claims from people who considered themselves pioneers of the time, from around the reign and death of Queen Victoria. The article mentions snippets of ‘study manuals’ for women of the age, describing all sorts of, what we now consider to be, weird and wonderful methods of maintaining a healthy glow.

Some of the suggestions, that most would be horrified of participating in in modern day life, include putting lard on your face, incorporating sour milk into your daily moisturising regime and even a do it yourself guide on how to give yourself fake dimples using only a knife, a hook and a pair of scissors! I can’t envisage home kits for plastic surgery ever coming back into fashion…

It really is amazing how far skin care has come in such a short time, considering that now we have scientific remedies for reducing scar tissue and even regrowing whole areas of skin after injury. I don’t think I would have liked to have been a woman in Victorian Britain, resorting to not smiling and being told not to rub salad dressing into my face in case I grow a beard! I am very grateful for the clinical advances in modern day skincare and am a strong believer that science based products are the way forward, though I wouldn’t out rule all old wives tales, such as facial massage that has been said to stimulate relaxation of your facial muscles, and of course is generally a pleasant experience.

Read the article (link below) to get an insight into how our extraordinary ancestors looked after their skin.